Tour of Italy
Pelayo Sanchez became the unexpected winner of the gravel stage in Tuscany in the Giro. The 24-year-old Spaniard from Movistar beat a very disappointed Julian Alaphilippe and the Australian champion Luke Plapp in the sprint. Tadej Pogacar remains leader.
The sixth stage in the Giro, 180 kilometers from Viareggio to Rapolano Terme, was a mini Strade Bianche due to the gravel strips and the many slopes, but the dreaded hectic was largely absent. Ineos Grenadiers made a strong impression in the peloton, with a lot of leading work from Geraint Thomas, but there were no shifts in the rankings. All tenors finished together in a group 29 seconds behind stage winner Sanchez.
The battle for the day’s victory was especially fierce. Only after almost a hundred kilometers did seven riders manage to create distance with the peloton. In a second selection, Sanchez, Alaphilippe and Plapp rode away. Despite the difficult final, they went together to the sprint, in which Sanchez clearly showed himself to be the fastest. He achieved his third professional victory, the second this season and the first in the WorldTour. At the end of January he won the Trofeo Pollenca and last year a stage in the Tour of Asturias.
Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step), who achieved his last victory in June last year, had to be satisfied with second place. Team manager Patrick Lefevere had encouraging words for the two-time world champion afterwards. “It’s a shame for him and for the team that Julian didn’t win,” Lefevere responded. “That would have been a very strong morale boost. But he works hard, he is sharp, he loves Italy and the courses here, and the Giro is still more than two weeks away: there are other opportunities coming up. I hope so for him. Because that’s what Julian needs: a win.”
The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) retained the pink leader’s jersey. In the standings he still has a 46 second lead over Thomas and 47 over the Colombian Daniel Felipe Martinez. First Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks remains fourth despite two delays in the gravel stage, still at 0:55. Uijtdebroeks also retains the white jersey as leader in the youth classification.
The first individual time trial in the 107th Giro d’Italia is scheduled for Friday. Between Foligno and Perugia the riders will ride 40.6 kilometers against the clock. The finish is on a fourth category climb (6.5 km, 4.0%).
